


Offer Something That Won't Go Away

by pandorabox82



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-07-16 03:15:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7249786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandorabox82/pseuds/pandorabox82
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Erin Strauss shows up on her doorstep one evening, looking for sanctuary, Penelope doesn't have it in her heart to ask her to leave. As they grow closer to each other, will the love of a friend deepen into something much sweeter?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A sharp knocking on Penelope's door startled her out of her computer game, and she paused it, listening to see if it was just a fluke, or if someone was really there. Seconds later, that sharp knocking came once more, and she set aside her controller as she stood up from the couch and made her way over to the door.

Peeking out through the peephole, she frowned a little. All she could see was a bent head, blonde hair fanning out a little. She knew it wasn't JJ, she hadn't ever had hair that short, and none of her other friends were blonde at the moment. She wasn't going to open the door, since she was still so leery of who could be lurking in darkened halls. And then, the head lifted and she was looking into the eyes of a ghost.

A surprised gasp tore its way out of her lungs, and she unlocked the doors with suddenly shaky fingers. It took too long for her to wrench the door open, but the violence of the motion did not seem to be lost on the woman standing there. "Penelope," she whimpered, her eyes filled with tears.

"Come inside," she replied, reaching out to touch Erin's arm. It was still a shock to her system when she encountered solid flesh instead of passing on through, disrupting the illusion. "You're alive."

"I am."

Those two words were filled with a world of emotion, and before she knew what she was doing, Penelope was enfolding her in a tender, loving, embrace. This seemed to be the catalyst that she needed to let her tears flow, and soon her shoulder was soaked. Somehow, she managed to get them over to the couch, not bothering to flip the deadbolt on the door. "Why are you here?"

The words came out a little more cavalier than she had intended, and Erin stiffened a little in her arms. "Yours was the first place that I could think of. David tossed me out of his life, out of his house, earlier today. I suppose that I should have let someone know that I had gone into hiding, but there wasn't time, and then after I had gotten in contact with my children, my handler suggested that perhaps I take my personal safety a little more seriously than I was, and I wasn't allowed any more contact with the outside world."

As the words poured out of Erin's mouth, Penelope found herself crying, and she began to rub the woman's back in soft circles, trying to soothe her. "Did Rossi say anything to you?"

Erin shook her head before burying her head in the crook of Penelope's neck. "He just looked at me as if I was nothing. As if I had betrayed him by not telling him anything. I have nowhere to go, now. I have nothing." Her lips brushed against her neck as she spoke, and Penelope shuddered a little at how bleak she sounded.

"Stay with me, then." The words rolled off her lips so easily, and Erin sighed deeply as she snuggled in close. "I won't turn you away."

"Thank you," she whispered, not letting go of her as they lapsed into silence. Soon, though, she felt Erin's body grow heavy in her arms and knew that the woman had fallen asleep on her. Carefully, Penelope maneuvered her so that she was stretched out on the couch, slipping off the older woman's shoes before dropping a light blanket over her. She had to stop herself from bending down and placing a tender kiss on Erin's forehead, though. There were some things that she knew just weren't seemly.

Sighing deeply, she picked up her cellphone and made her way to the bathroom, intent on calling Rossi and reaming him out. Before she could even look up his number, however, he was calling her, and she answered shortly. "Hello."

"I take it she's already made it over to your place, then, Kitten. Have you offered her sanctuary?"

His voice sounded tired, and tried not to smile bitterly at the thought that he might be regretting acting so hastily. "I have. I'll be out of the office tomorrow, taking care of her, since she has nothing left in her life. Why would you do this to her?"

"She couldn't bother to tell me she was alive, and I moved on."

"Erin still loves you." She didn't know why she told him that, she wasn't certain if it were true or not. But she wanted to needle him a little, to not let him off the hook for abandoning his beloved so easily.

"I don't love her any longer." The words were short and sharp and full of bitter regret, and she knew that he was lying. She couldn't push him, though, and so she nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Will, will you please take good care of her?"

"Of course. One of us, at least, still loves her." Without saying goodbye, she hung up on him and promptly turned her phone off. She knew that he could call her on one of her other phones, but she also hoped that he would take the hint and leave them alone. Letting out a deep sigh, she left the bathroom and rejoined Erin. The woman was still asleep, her left arm hanging off the couch.

Going to her side, Penelope sat down on the floor and picked up her hand, intent on just settling it on her chest while she still slept, until her fingers brushed against the familiar feel of scar tissue. Looking down at Erin's wrist, she saw the pale white outline of an infinity symbol. "He marked you?" she murmured, and without thinking, she brought the wrist to her lips and kissed the scar.

Erin frowned in her sleep and turned on her side, pulling her arm along with. The blanket slipped onto the floor, and Penelope hurriedly covered her back up, wanting the woman to be comfortable, even in sleep. The older woman snuggled down into the couch, and a sad smile spread across Penelope's face as she smoothed hair back from her face.

"What am I going to do with you, Erin Strauss? I have no idea how to fix this, how to make everything right. I know that you still love Rossi, that you're heartbroken, and I don't want you to be hurt by him. Not when I love you."

The older woman groaned a little in her sleep, her arm flopping out once more, and Penelope clasped it, threading their fingers together as she continued to watch her own, real life, phoenix sleep her sorrows away.


	2. Chapter 2

Penelope must have fallen asleep at some point, because the next thing she knew, her eyes were blinking open to see Erin watching her from her position on the couch. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked through a yawn.

"I'm not really sure. I just woke up about five minutes ago myself." Erin's eyes were red rimmed, and Penelope reached up to grab for her hand, threading their fingers together. "I just can't seem to find my footing. Are you certain that you want to keep me here?"

"I am." Giving her a gentle tug, Penelope pulled her down onto the floor, wanting to have her closer to side. "Do you have anything left?"

Again, the words came out a little more harshly than she had intended, and Erin stiffened a little before she gave a sharp nod. "Thankfully, once Alan knew that I was coming back from the dead eventually, he put all of my clothes and things in storage. I'll have to contact him to figure out where that is exactly, and to have my bank accounts reactivated. There's so much more to returning to life than I had ever thought."

By the end of her speech, her voice had dropped to a whisper, and Penelope untangled their hands so that she could run her fingers through Erin's hair, seeking to comfort her. "Well, at least you don't have to start completely over, Erin."

Erin sighed a little before nodding. "There is that. And I do have a suitcase of clothes. I left it in my car, since I wasn't certain that you would let me in. Thank you." Penelope was surprised when Erin turned her head and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "You didn't have to do this for me."

"Yeah, I did. You deserve a safe harbor, Erin. And you are always welcome here." She could tell the exact moment that Erin started to cry once more, as her shoulders almost imperceptibly shook. "Now, it looks to be about supper time. Do you want to have Chinese or pizza delivered?"

"Pizza sounds delicious. But I don't know if you'll like what I like on it. I prefer to have a lot of cheese and Canadian bacon."

Penelope giggled lightly as she shook her head. "You are so right, I only like half of that equation. But as long as you don't mind only having meat on half, I think we can do that."

"Oh, that's right, you're a vegetarian. Are you sure you won't mind having meat on it? I can forgo that one topping for one night."

Erin's voice had become high and tight as she spoke, and Penelope wondered if she was trying to be accommodating of her feelings, as if she didn't really trust her when she said she was safe here. Without moving to look at the woman, Penelope cupped her face, letting her thumb run along the apple of her cheek. "Please, close your eyes and listen, really listen, to me, Erin." She waited a beat and felt the woman's long lashes brush against the top of her thumb. "If I didn't want you here, I would have refused to open that door. I want you here, and I want you to be happy. And a simple little pizza won't kill me, I promise you. Believe me, all right?"

Erin's answer was a little time in coming as their breathing began to sync up. "All right. It's just that my heart is a little battered tonight."

The low murmuring hurt Penelope's heart, and she slung her arm around Erin's shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug. "And I will hold it tenderly, I promise you that." The older woman gave a tiny nod before turning her face into the crook of Penelope's neck as she held onto her tightly. After a minute had passed, Penelope gently released Erin and pulled out her phone, calling the pizza place just down the street, and putting their order in. "So, we have about thirty minutes until they arrive. What would you like to do until then?"

Erin pulled her legs up against her chest and rested her chin on them. "Would you tell me about what I missed while I was away?"

"I can do that, yes. So, I don't know if it made the news where you were staying, but we caught a really bad case in Texas. Reid and Derek got shot, and it looked like we were going to lose Reid there, for a moment. But it turned out that Alex was the one who couldn't handle being on the team any longer. She just walked away."

"What?"

"Yeah. She went to join James in Boston. I can't say that I blame her, what with seeing Reid take the bullet that was meant for her and all, but…I miss her, and she's only been gone a few days." She took a deep breath. "And, I sort of shot someone."

"What? I thought that you didn't believe in guns?"

Erin reached out and gently wrapped her hand around Penelope's shoulder, squeezing slightly. Turning her face so that she could look at Erin, she gave a small shrug. "It was either shoot the bastard or see Reid die. I didn't hesitate, Erin. But it felt weird."

"I can only imagine, darling." It seemed like the endearment had just slipped from her tongue without her noticing it, and Penelope smiled as she scooted closer to Erin. They rested their heads together as they once more started to breathe in sync. It seemed like a certain sense of peace had settled over their hearts, and Penelope was glad for the quiet. Time seemed to lose all meaning as they just sat together.

Finally, though, the doorbell rang and Penelope reluctantly stood up, fishing her billfold out of her purse as she made her way to the door. "Hello, is this Penelope Garcia's apartment?" the young man asked, holding onto the pizza box with both hands.

"Yeah, how much do I owe you again?" she asked as she began to rifle through her bills.

"Twenty eight dollars, sixty nine cents," he replied, pulling out a pouch to make change. She waved that away as she pulled out two twenties. "That's a little…"

"It's just right, okay?"

He didn't have to be told twice as he pocketed the bills and handed over the pizza. Penelope shut the door and found Erin had made herself comfortable at the kitchen table, plates and glasses set out before her and the spot next to her. "I had to make myself useful," she said with a blush as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"There's no need to explain yourself, I'm just glad that you're making yourself at home." Reaching out, she deliberately untucked the hank of hair and tugged at it, hoping that Erin would smile. Instead, the woman met her eye, arched an eyebrow, and retucked it in. "I like it better the other way."

"It's distracting when it's in my face, and I'm trying to let it grow out. Please, if I'm going to be here, I would like you to respect my wishes."

Penelope nodded as she set the pizza down on the table. "Here, I think I have the perfect solution. Just give me one moment." Erin nodded absently, and Penelope scurried off to the bedroom, fishing out her snail hairclips. "Here," she murmured as she reached out once more, clipping the offending piece of hair back from Erin's face.

"Thanks." Penelope smiled widely and tried not to stiffen in shock when Erin reached up and caressed her cheek softly. "Can I put the other one in?" She nodded dumbly, and held the clip out to her. Erin picked it up and instead of putting it in her own hair, she clipped a piece of Penelope's hair back. "Now we match."

"We do." Sitting down next to Erin, she opened the box and took out a piece of the cheese half. "I think I'm going to like having you around, Erin." The older woman just smiled at her a little before grabbing out her own piece, nibbling at it shyly as she kept her eyes on Penelope.


	3. Chapter 3

"Come on, Erin, please. Take the bed tonight. You already took a nap on the couch, and I wouldn't feel right with a guest being uncomfortable on their first night here. Please, for once in your life, will you not be stubborn and listen to me?"

Erin let out a soft humph of impatience as she shook her head. "I'm the one invading your space, it's the least I can do to be a little uncomfortable."

Penelope breathed out deeply through her nose as she reached out and rested her hand on Erin's shoulder. "Either you take the bed, or I take the floor. Those are the only options available tonight. Does that sit well with you?"

"Oh, and now who's being the stubborn one?" There was real fire flashing in her eyes, and Penelope found herself reacting to the sparks she was throwing off. A small part of her wanted to lean in and kiss a smile onto her lips, but that was a crazy idea, she knew. Instead, she reached up and tweaked Erin's nose slightly. "I didn't let David get away with distracting me, what makes you think that I'll let you get away with that when we're not even a couple?"

"Because I'm adorable?" she shot back quickly, pouting a little. "I mean, Erin, to me, you've just come back from the dead. You're reeling from a disastrous break up. And I just want you to be happy and comfortable. If that means that I have to spend a night on my lumpy couch, I can do it. I mean, Derek's done it a million times, and he's never complained about it."

Erin shook her head a little, frowning as she took a deep breath. "All right, we'll alternate nights for as long as I am here. Tonight, I'll take the bed, tomorrow night will be your turn."

Penelope knew that this was about as far as she could get Erin to relent, so she went with it, giving her a nod and a wide smile. "I suppose that I can live with that. So, I already told Rossi, but…I'm taking tomorrow off so that I can help you get settled in here. We can unpack your suitcase and bring some more of your clothes over from the storage facility that your ex chose. I suppose that he sold your house?"

Erin nodded as she padded over to her suitcase, crouching down to unzip it. As she rummaged around, she began to speak. "I told him to. I had no idea when I would be back, and there was no point in letting the house stay empty when another family could just as easily use it. Alan told me that he put the money into a bank account that would be released to me when I came out of WitSec. So, I do have some money set aside to get a new place, I just have no idea where that new place is going to be. I had thought that I would be spending the rest of my life with David."

As she spoke, Erin's voice got softer and softer, and she could hear the tears that clogged the older woman's throat. Unable to stay away any longer, she got up off the couch and closed the distance between them, crouching down alongside her before pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm going to hug happiness back into you, Erin. I just hope that you'll let me."

"That might be nice. I just don't want to impose on you."

"Honey, you are far from an imposition." It seemed instinctive to turn her head and press her lips to Erin's cheek. The woman stiffened a little, subtly pulling away from Penelope. That hurt her heart, but she also knew that Erin was wrestling with the fact that someone she loved treating her shabbily. "Now, while you go take a shower and get ready for bed, I'm going to put your clothes away. Somehow, I rather think that you hate wrinkles."

Erin stood and gazed down at her, a tiny smile on her lips. "I'm the one who should be taking care of you. After all, I'm several years older than you."

"Age doesn't matter when you need a warm heart to listen to you."

The older woman nodded and then scurried off to the bathroom, shutting herself inside. Penelope let out a light sigh as she picked up Erin's suitcase and set it on the bed. There was more in there than she would have thought, but still, she had everything put away before she heard the water turn off.

Reaching her hand around in the bag one more time, her fingers brushed against a heavy object, and she pulled it out, a questioning frown on her lips. "Oh, wow, Erin, I so did not mean to disrupt your privacy like this," she murmured as she looked at the dildo in her hands. She knew that Erin was a sexual being, but it was still weird to see that confirmed. Hurriedly, she stuffed the dildo back into the bag and set it on the floor by the bedside.

She was certain that she was still blushing when Erin came out into the room, wearing a tank top and yoga pants, a towel wrapped around her head. "Is everything all right, Penelope? You look nervous."

She shook her head hurriedly, her eyes darting between the bag at her feet and at Erin. The woman's eyes widened, as if she knew what had happened, and she held her shirt close to her chest as she looked at the floor. "Well, since I've seen yours, do you want to see mine?"

That caused the woman's head to shoot up, a relieved look on her face. "Let me guess, yours is some neon purple monstrosity."

"Maybe," she replied as she leaned over and pulled open her table drawer, reaching in and grabbing out her vibrator. "See, mine's not neon purple, it's more violet in color."

As she watched, a wicked little look flashed across Erin's face as she sank down onto the mattress. "That's a pretty color."

"And it does a pretty job."

"There is that," Erin whispered as she motioned for her bag. Penelope handed it to her and watched as the woman pulled out hers. "His name used to be little David. Obviously that is going to have to change."

"Do you have a favorite actor? Mine's named Ewan, after Ewan McGregor, who is blessedly hung like a horse." The initial weirdness of having this personal of a discussion with Erin was fast fading, and she felt almost like they were schoolgirls, having a sleepover.

"He is?" Erin asked as she pulled her legs up and sat in the lotus position, still holding on to her dildo.

"Oh my, yes. Have you not see _The Pillow Book_?" Erin shook her head. "All right, so tomorrow, when we get home from our errands, I know what we're doing."

"Are you always so pushy?" Again, there was a teasing lilt in Erin's voice, and she smiled as she nodded. "That's good to know. I don't usually give in so easily, but tonight seems like the perfect time to just let go and let you lead."

"At least you recognize that, Erin." They shared another smile, and then Erin flopped back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "Are you ready to sleep?"

"A little. Though I like this. I like having someone to talk to and confide in. I didn't have that in the office, or when I was drinking. I had to keep everything a secret, and I missed out on so much."

Penelope nodded, even though she knew that Erin couldn't see her, and then turned her body so that she was laying the same way that Erin was. "I love having close girlfriends. There's something special about these relationships."

"Uh huh," Erin murmured sleepily, her free hand reaching out across the inches and clasping Penelope's, threading their fingers together. "Tell me a story about your childhood, before you joined the hacker community."

"All right." Penelope sifted through her memories, trying to find the happiest story she had, in order to make Erin happy.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, how is Erin settling in?" Dave asked as he and Penelope waited for the elevator to take them to the parking garage, their day done.

"Quite well, no thanks to you. We managed to get all her clothes moved into my apartment, and we spent the day watching movies and vegging out. Her heart is broken, Rossi, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you for doing that to her."

"Kitten, she could have told me…"

"And ended up like Haley? No, she had her children to think of, and you are being completely selfish here. God, I have no idea what she ever saw in you."

Crossing her arms over her chest, she frowned at him, unwilling to say anything more to the infuriating man as they waited. The strained silence grew between them, and though she hated it, she couldn't find anything in her brain or heart to say to him. Finally, though, he reached out and stopped the elevator, stepping in front of her and staring. She couldn't meet his eye, didn't want to see the wounded, hang dog, look she was certain he was giving her. "Kitten, some part of me died on the streets of New York when Hotch told me that she had passed before I could say goodbye. I had to shut off those feelings, or become overwhelmed by them. First Carolyn, then her, it was more than my tired heart could take at that moment."

There was real pain in his voice, and Penelope knew that he honestly meant those words, and that he was still in love with Erin. Taking a deep breath, she raised her head and shook it a little, pursing her lips so that she wouldn't start crying herself. "And I realized something when Hotch told us that she had died. I was falling in love with her, even though she was with you, and while I'm not going to push her into anything, I'm not going to lose this second chance with her. You have to decide now if you're going to pursue her."

His eyes widened in shock as he took a step towards her. "What?"

"Is it really that surprising that I'm bisexual? How long have you know me, Rossi?"

"But to be in love with her…?"

She shrugged a little. "When she came back from rehab and rebuilt her life, brick by brick, I found myself admiring her. And then, somewhere, that admiration turned into love. I would never have acted on it, I would have stayed with Sam forever, if she had not been taken by Curtis, if she had chosen you." Reaching up, Penelope squeezed his shoulder tightly, forcing him to look into her eyes. "And then you fucked everything up and threw her heart out on the streets. Your time is quickly slipping through the hourglass, while mine is just beginning."

It felt odd to be so callous with him, but at the same time, she wanted everything out on the table. Rossi nodded a little before reaching up to cover her hand with his. "I don't have an answer for either of you, yet. This is all so sudden. I wonder, though, why you've accepted this so easily."

"I'm a geek girl, Rossi. I read comic books where the heroes never die. I watch tv shows where death isn't really death. Hell, we had Emily, too, come back from the dead. Erin showing up on my doorstep a few nights ago was a surprise, yes, but one that I could roll with. Would that the same was true for you."

Stepping around him, she started the elevator up once more and waited for it to drop them off in the parking garage. Strangely, Rossi fell silent after her little speech, and she smiled a little at the thought of making him speechless.

When they had finally reached their destination, she was the first to step out, and then his hand was catching her elbow, stopping her movement. "Give me a few days, Kitten, to let my heart settle. Don't pursue her right away. Old dogs do not learn new tricks all that easily."

"All right."

"And don't try to influence her, either. I know that you can weave a spell with the way you speak, and that you could have her in a heartbeat with the honeyed drops that can fall from your lips. Just, give me time."

She smiled sadly at him as she nodded, unsurprised when he pulled her into a tight, warm, hug. "Rossi, you should have put this much effort into listening to her before yelling at her. I know that her heart is tender and bruised, that she isn't inclined to listen to you, but if you really would like to start making it up to her, perhaps you could start with flowers. There's a language to flowers, you know, and you can make any sort of saying that you wish as long as you put the right blossoms together."

Penelope had no idea why she was giving him the way back into Erin's heart, other than she knew it wouldn't be fair of her to not give him the opportunity. If she really did feel that she was in love with Erin, she knew that she had to be fair to the woman and allow her to have every opportunity to choose who she wished to be wooed by. Rossi returned her sad smile, as if he knew that she wasn't really giving him advice freely, and then he stepped close to her and hugged her tightly. "We'll let her choose, then?"

"Yes. If we fight for her, nothing good will come of it. Her heart is very tender."

He nodded before letting her go and heading over to his car. It took Penelope a few moments longer to get going, though, as she found that she couldn't turn her eyes from the older man. The small part of her heart, the part that she tried to drown out with love and kindness, was screaming at her stupidity, and she bit her bottom lip sharply in an effort to keep from crying. She wanted to seek Erin out, and hold her close. She wanted to pursue the spark that was between them. But mostly, she just wanted to hold onto the older woman and tell her that everything would eventually be all right, that she was fine to stand on her own two feet.

Letting out a long breath, she shook her head a little as she made her way over to her car. The moment that Penelope slipped behind the wheel, her phone rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket to stare at the screen. Erin was calling, and she wondered what the woman needed. "Hello?" she asked hesitantly.

"Penelope! I was wondering if you would stop at the store and bring home some ice cream. My children have decided to drop in and check up on me, and I thought that we could placate them with something sweet. Please?"

A daffy smile spread across her lips as she nodded. "Good thing you caught me before I left the office. Is there any particular flavor that you want?"

There was a short pause, and Penelope used the time to head over to her car, slipping behind the wheel. "Well, you'll probably laugh at me, but I love French Vanilla ice cream. No toppings, no whipped cream, just plain vanilla."

"You like what you like, dumpling, you shouldn't be sorry for that." The endearment had just slipped off her tongue, and Penelope kicked herself a little, wondering if she had given herself away.

"There is that. Hurry home, I don't want to have to explain this alone." There was something so hesitantly sweet about the way her voice warbled that Penelope found herself nodding, the daffy smile returning to her lips as she somehow ended the call and made her way to the store.


	5. Chapter 5

"All right, I got us a quart of the finest French Vanilla ice cream that I could find, and then I got Moose Tracks for your kids. I hope…"

Penelope's voice trailed off when she looked at her sofa, seeing three blonde copies of Erin sitting there, giving her a calculating look that she recognized well from their mother's face. "As you can see, they got here before you did," Erin said tartly. Penelope blushed a little as she went into the kitchen and dropped the bag on the counter before turning her back on them and pulling out bowls.

"So, did you have a chance to talk, then?" she asked as she opened the utensil drawer, getting out spoons and the scoop.

"Yes, Momma was telling us all about your days as a hacker. Really, I had no idea that she met such fascinating people in her line of work."

The voice sounded so much like Erin, and Penelope wondered which of the daughters had spoken. While she was focused on that, she felt a cold hand touch her shoulder, and she jumped a little, letting out a loud squeak as she whirled around to see Erin standing there, a bemused smile on her lips. "Do not scare me like that! Kevin was always doing that to me, and I detested it. After Battle…"

The smile faded from Erin's lips as she drew her hand back and looked at the floor. "I'd forgotten about that, Penelope," she whispered, hurt clinging to her words.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped. Forgive me?"

Erin nodded as she took hold of the carton of vanilla, quickly opening it and scooping out a large portion. "We'll just share this bowl. My children can fend for themselves."

Penelope nodded, feeling her words whisked away by the commanding look that Erin gave her before making for the living room once more. Just as she was about to take a seat in her chair, Erin shook her head and patted the spot next to her on the sofa. Taking a deep breath, Penelope sat, holding onto her spoon so tightly that it started to painfully dig into the skin of her palm. "I could have gotten my own bowl."

"That's wasteful," she tartly replied before digging into the confection and bringing the spoon to her lips. Penelope tried to stop herself from watching the way her mouth closed around the bite, tried to stop her gaze from lingering on the way Erin's throat moved as she swallowed, but it was a losing battle, and she groaned a little as she shoved her own spoon into the ice cream and took a large bite.

"So, Penelope, I notice that you only have one bed in your apartment. Where does Mom sleep?"

"Bruce! I do not like what you are insinuating! Penelope and I are just friends, and we trade off nights on the sofa and in the bed, if you must know." Erin glared at her son before taking another bite of ice cream.

"You know, when you say it like that, Momma, you make it sound like that isn't all you want to be with Penelope." The younger of Erin's daughters winked at her before licking at her spoonful of ice cream.

"Tabitha Marie Strauss, I did not raise you to have a gutter mind, and I will thank you to remember that I am in the home of a generous friend who did not have to take me in. I am relying on her good graces to have a roof over my head."

"I would never kick you out, Erin. I promise you that," she said quickly, trying to ignore the look that Erin's children shared. And then, their eyes met, and she gulped, trying not to make a sound at the look that Erin was giving her. "After all, I wouldn't be a good friend if I did that."

"There is that," the older woman purred, and Penelope clenched her thighs together as she struggled to think of the most mundane things in the world in an effort to douse the desire that was coursing through her body. "So, I would like to make this a fairly regular thing, if that's okay with Penelope. I've missed you, my darlings."

Tabitha was the first to nod, her eyes welling up with quick tears. "I wish that we could be with you every day, Momma. I know that's not possible, but ever since Daddy told us that you were alive, I've wanted to be by your side."

"Spend the night," Penelope said suddenly, making certain to make eye contact with each child. Bruce and her older daughter shook their heads, still smiling. Tabitha, though, nodded wildly, even before Penelope looked at her. "Well, you and your mother can share the bed, then."

"Penelope," Erin said, a note of annoyance in her voice, and she shrugged a little as a pleased smile spread across her lips. "You planned that deliberately."

"I know that you had an aching back from last night, and if this gives you a rest, then that makes me happy." She continued to smile at Erin until the older woman shook her head, a bemused look on her face. "All right, I'm going to do the dishes…"

"I took care of them already."

Penelope frowned, taking a quick look around her apartment. Her mouth fell open as her eyes came to rest on Erin once more, and the older woman blushed a little. "Mom's always had to do something with her hands, even when she's supposed to be resting."

"Karen…"

"I'm not going to lie to your friend, Mom. Especially not when she seems so cool with having all of us here." The older daughter gave her a bright smile before looking back at her mother. "Though I do have to open at work tomorrow. I'm going to head out. Bruce, are you coming, too?"

"Yeah, I have cross country practice tomorrow morning. This was really nice, though, Penelope. Thanks for letting us in."

"You're welcome here any time that you'd like." She gave them a warm smile as she stood and picked up their bowls, carrying them into the kitchen and rinsing them out before placing them in the washer. To give them some privacy, she looked in the fridge to see if she'd have to pick up any groceries on the way home tomorrow and gasped. Erin had filled it with fresh fruits and vegetables, along with milk, eggs, butter, and everything she'd need for two weeks, at least.

"I have to pull my weight around here," Erin murmured in her ear, and Penelope turned around to look at her incredulously. "This is really just a small gesture."

"Oh, Erin, you don't have to do anything other than be yourself and heal."

Erin tucked her chin against her chest as she shrugged. "If I don't keep busy, I think about what happened between me and David. Taking care of us will help me heal, I promise."

The sound of Erin's voice nearly cracked Penelope's heart in two, and she wrapped her in a tight hug. Erin took a few moments before she returned the embrace, her head coming to rest on Penelope's shoulder. "You have to take care of yourself, too. Okay?"

"Okay." And before she could stop herself, Penelope bent her head ever so slightly so that she could kiss the crown of Erin's head. Her eyes met Tabitha's across the room, and the girl grinned at her before plopping down on the couch. In that moment, she knew that Tabitha had read her heart, and she only hoped that the girl would keep her secret until she was ready to reveal it.

* * *


End file.
